 It is a pleasure to welcome you all to the Global Diaspora Summit here in the very heart of Dublin, to recognize the role of diasporas and transnational communities as development actors. Diasporas have repeatedly demonstrated that their resilience and will to support their communities can move mountains. There are so many examples where diasporas have shown their solidarity and commitment to protect and support their communities, be it at times of stability or during crisis. And as people have fled conflict recently in Ukraine, there fell nationals across the world have responded, whether providing financial, psychological and social support to those in need or providing shelter and a place to rest. Over the last several years, we have seen our COVID-19 as deeply impacted households all around the world. Despite this, mobilized diaspora communities continued not only to send remittances and other financial aid back home, but also share medical knowledge and key information on how to best respond to the pandemic. There will no doubt be future challenges ahead of us. However, I am certain that diasporas will remain a constant, standing ready to engage and meet the needs of their communities.